Intravitreal MPTP drives retinal ganglion cell loss with oral nicotinamide treatment providing robust neuroprotection.

Neurodegenerative diseases have common underlying pathological mechanisms including progressive neuronal dysfunction, axonal and dendritic retraction, and mitochondrial dysfunction resulting in neuronal death. The retina is often affected in common neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Studies have demonstrated that the retina in patients with Parkinson's disease undergoes changes that parallel the dysfunction in the brain.

NAD salvage pathway machinery expression in normal and glaucomatous retina and optic nerve.

Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness and is a major health and economic burden. Current treatments do not address the neurodegenerative component of glaucoma. In animal models of glaucoma, the capacity to maintain retinal nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) pools declines early during disease pathogenesis.

Incidence of acute cerebrovascular events in patients with rheumatic or calcific mitral stenosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Patients with mitral stenosis (MS) may be predisposed to acute cerebrovascular events (ACE) and peripheral thromboembolic events (TEE). Concomitant atrial fibrillation (AF), mitral annular calcification (MAC) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) are independent risk factors. Our aim was to evaluate the incidence of ACEs in MS patients and the implications of AF, MAC and RHD on thromboembolic risks.

Clinical characteristics, treatment and long-term outcomes of patients with right-sided cardiac thrombus.

Objective: Right-sided cardiac thrombus is rare and may be caused by venous thromboembolism, in association with medical devices or stasis of blood in atrial fibrillation (AF) and cardiomyopathies. Complications include pulmonary embolism (PE) and paradoxical stroke. Current data are limited and mostly from case series and PE registries.

Effects of Sodium/Glucose Cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) Inhibitors on Cardiac Imaging Parameters: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.

Recent studies have shown that sodium/glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors might exert favourable changes on cardiac parameters as observed on cardiovascular imaging. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on cardiac imaging parameters. Four electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Scopus) were searched for studies in which the effects of SGLT2 inhibitors on cardiac imaging parameters were examined.

Prevalence and incidence of cognitive impairment and dementia in heart failure - A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression.

Introduction: The burden of cognitive impairment in heart failure (HF) patients is significant and leads to longer hospital stay, higher readmission rates, and increased mortality. This review seeks to synthesize the available studies to determine the prevalence and incidence of cognitive impairment and dementia in HF patients.

Methods: PubMed, Embase, PsychoINFO, and Cochrane databases were systematically searched from their inception through to May 3, 2021.

Effects of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Receptor Agonist (GLP-1RA) on Cardiac Structure and Function: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized-Controlled Trials.

Purpose: Recent trials suggest glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) may have a cardioprotective role by reducing major adverse cardiac events, stroke mortality and heart failure-related hospitalisations. We examined whether and how GLP-1RAs affect cardiac function in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases including type 2 diabetes, heart failure and post-myocardial infarction.

Methods: In this PRISMA-adherent systematic review and meta-analysis, three databases were searched from inception to July 2021 and registered on PROSPERO (CRD42021259661).

Prognostically Distinct Phenotypes of Metabolic Health Beyond Obesity in Aortic Stenosis.

Although current evidence is in favor of metabolic health and nonobesity in the reduction of incident cardiovascular disease, little is known regarding the prognosis across the metabolic phenotypes once cardiovascular disease occurs. This study examined the prognosis of patients with significant aortic stenosis (AS) on the basis of the presence of metabolic health and obesity. This a retrospective cohort study on consecutive patients who presented with moderate-to-severe AS to a tertiary hospital between 2010 and 2015.

Prevalence, types and treatment of bradycardia in obstructive sleep apnea - A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The association of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with bradycardia is not well-characterized, which may confer significant morbidity and mortality if left untreated. We sought to clarify the prevalence of comorbid OSA and bradycardia, and the effect of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy on bradycardia outcomes.

Methods: We systematically searched four electronic databases (PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus) for randomized or observational studies reporting the co-prevalence of sleep apnea and bradycardia or evaluated the use of CPAP on the incidence of bradycardias.

Clinical and echocardiographic characteristics associated with the development of infective endocarditis in patients with significant mitral stenosis.

Background: Infective endocarditis (IE) confers significant mortality and morbidity in patients with underlying mitral stenosis (MS), with both diseased native valves and after valvular procedures.

Purpose: We examined the clinical and echocardiographic parameters in association with the development of IE on patients with significant MS.

Methods: A total of 478 consecutive patients with index echocardiographic diagnosis of significant mitral stenosis (mitral valve area <1.

A systematic review and meta-analysis on the impact of pre-existing and new-onset atrial fibrillation on outcomes before and after liver transplantation.

Background And Aims: Atrial Fibrillation (AF) is the most commonly diagnosed cardiac arrhythmia. It is associated with significant morbidity and mortality, as it is a major risk factor for cerebral vascular accidents (CVA). Our aim was to determine the prevalence of pre-existing and new-onset AF among patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT) and its impact on post-transplant outcomes.

Prevalence and outcomes of concomitant cardiac amyloidosis and aortic stenosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Cardiac amyloidosis (CA) is an increasingly recognised condition in patients with aortic stenosis (AS). However, there is a large variation in the reported prevalence figures, due to differences in populations and diagnostic methods. We aimed to investigate the prevalence, risk factors and outcomes of concomitant CA and AS.

Effects of Sodium/Glucose Cotransporter Inhibitors on Atrial Fibrillation and Stroke: A Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: Recent clinical trials have shown the potential of sodium glucose cotransporter (SGLT) 2 inhibitors to reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation but not stroke. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to clarify if SGLT2 or combined SGLT1/2 inhibitors affect the risk of atrial fibrillation and stroke in patients regardless of diabetic status.

Materials And Methods: Four electronic databases were searched on 21st November 2020 for studies evaluating outcomes of stroke and atrial fibrillation with SGLT2 or combined SGLT1/2 inhibitors in both diabetic and non-diabetic patients.

A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review on the Global Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Outcomes of Coronary Artery Disease in Liver Transplantation Recipients.

The shift in the changing etiology of cirrhosis requiring liver transplantation (LT) has resulted in an increasing prevalence of coronary artery disease (CAD) that can potentially impact post-LT outcomes. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluates the prevalence of CAD, risk factors, and outcomes of patients diagnosed with CAD before LT. MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched for articles describing CAD in pre-LT patients.

New Technologies to Study Functional Genomics of Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss in people over 50 years old in developed countries. Currently, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of the genetic factors contributing to AMD, which is critical to identify effective therapeutic targets to improve treatment outcomes for AMD patients. Here we discuss the latest technologies that can facilitate the identification and functional study of putative genes in AMD pathology.

Obstructive sleep apnea during acute coronary syndrome is related to myocardial necrosis and wall stress.

Background: The relative contribution of pathophysiological mechanisms in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) towards obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is not well-studied. We examined the correlation between severity of OSA and inflammation, myocardial necrosis, wall stress, and fibrosis.

Methods: A total of 89 patients admitted with ACS underwent a sleep study during index admission.

Coronavirus-induced myocarditis: A meta-summary of cases.

Background: Myocarditis caused by SARS-CoV-2 infection was proposed to account for a proportion of cardiac injury in patients with COVID-19. However, reports of coronavirus-induced myocarditis were scarce. The aim of this review was to summarise the published cases of myocarditis and describe their presentations, diagnostic processes, clinical characteristics and outcomes.

Neuronal Reprogramming for Tissue Repair and Neuroregeneration.

Stem cell and cell reprogramming technology represent a rapidly growing field in regenerative medicine. A number of novel neural reprogramming methods have been established, using pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) or direct reprogramming, to efficiently derive specific neuronal cell types for therapeutic applications. Both in vitro and in vivo cellular reprogramming provide diverse therapeutic pathways for modeling neurological diseases and injury repair.

A single-cell transcriptome atlas of the adult human retina.

The retina is a specialized neural tissue that senses light and initiates image processing. Although the functional organization of specific retina cells has been well studied, the molecular profile of many cell types remains unclear in humans. To comprehensively profile the human retina, we performed single-cell RNA sequencing on 20,009 cells from three donors and compiled a reference transcriptome atlas.